


Small Town Family

by AutisticAnxietyDragon



Series: A Dancing Queen+A Sports Elf+A Grumpy Fae=Family [2]
Category: LazyTown
Genre: Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:20:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24980698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AutisticAnxietyDragon/pseuds/AutisticAnxietyDragon
Summary: How is Stephnaie coping in the months following the damage left behind by Lilith?
Relationships: Glanni Glæpur/Íþróttaálfurinn, Robbie Rotten/Sportacus
Series: A Dancing Queen+A Sports Elf+A Grumpy Fae=Family [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1804216
Kudos: 25





	1. Cast no more

Stephanie whimpered and winced at the sound of the saw filled the air and she squeezed the hand that was held onto hers in hopes of a distraction. The hand gently squeezed back so Stephanie turned her head and hid into the firm blue chest of Sportacus as he sat beside her on the hospital bed. Stephanie was finally getting her cast removed after eight whole weeks, it would only have been six if the second incident hadn’t occurred just days after the first which had set back the healing process of her wrist and had fractured her elbow as well. “It’s OK Stephanie,” Sportacus whispered into her hair but allowed the girl to stay where she was. Stephanie had been spending more time with Sportacus and Robbie lately, in-fact she was hardly ever seen without at least one of them with her and that was including in school. Robbie had decided to stay on as the teacher to give him something to do during the day when the kids were there and the other kids loved Robbie teaching them, it was a lot different then the time he had disguised himself as Professor Rottenein when he was trying to chase Sportacus out of town. Sportacus had remained Stephanie’s teaching aid while her arm healed and neither of them had left the whole time Stephanie had been hospitalized after Lilith had attacked her in the playground. Stephanie had been unconscious for two days after that incident and both men had had to be given sedatives to calm them down the first night. Once Stephanie had woken up they had kept her in for two more days to monitor her as she had suffered a concussion.

Now eight weeks on and Stephanie was finally beginning to recover both physically and mentally from what had happened, although some nights she still woke with night terrors which she never told anyone about in fear that it would upset them, even though Sportacus was aware of them and came to her after each one she refused to tell him what they were about.

“OK, there we go Stephanie all done,” came the voice of Doctor Feelsgood, which brought Stephanie back to the present and she turned her head towards her arm which was now no longer in the bright pink cast. “Now you will be stiff for a while but I have given Sportacus a lit of exercises you can do to help ease that, but you must be careful about strenuous activity for a while as the bones are still fragile, although healed they could brake again,” Doctor Feelsgood continued and Stephanie rotated her arm around, wincing slightly at the pains that shot through her.

“Thank you Doctor,” Sportacus smiled and shook the man’s hand happily before he turned back to Stephanie. “Ready to go?” he asked and Stephanie nodded in agreement and hopped off of the bed before she took Sportacus’s hand in her own. “So what shall we do today?” Sportacus asked as the two headed towards the airship to head back to LazyTown.

“Can we just go and see Robbie?” Stephanie asked and Sportacus smiled and nodded his head in agreement, Sportacus had a feeling that Robbie wouldn’t mind them dropping by as he had wanted to come to the hospital with Stephanie as well but he had a project to complete and sent off to BusyTown. In the last few months Robbie had started creating clothes and costumes for money and posted images of them online, he had had many calls and e-mails requesting different things to be made and he worked it around his work with the school. “Sportacus?” Stephanie asked once she was settled on the new seat that Sportacus had installed with a seat belt so that Stephanie could be safe when he was flying the airship anywhere.

“Yes Stephanie?” Sportacus asked as he took his seat in the drivers seat and began to peddle until he reached enough speed for the autopilot to kick in.

“Can I stay with you tonight?” Stephanie asked quietly and Sportacus turned to look at the girl with a furrowed brow.

“Of course you can. But why?” Sportacus asked and Stephanie shrugged, she refused to look at Sportacus to give him a straight answer which worried the sports hero but he didn’t press as he knew that this could make the nine year old shut down more. “Why don’t we see if Robbie wants to stay as well?” Sportacus asked and Stephanie smiled slightly and nodded her head in agreement.

“Robbie?” Sportacus called as he knocked on the hatch which lead to Robbie’s lair, he just hoped that he hadn’t woken or startled Robbie. But he needn’t have worried as seconds later the periscope popped up right in-front of Stephanie which made the girl jump and giggle, which made Sportacus smile.

“What?” came the sound of Robbie’s voice through the periscope.

“Hi Robbie. We’ve come for a visit. Are you busy still?” Stephanie asked, the nervousness was clear in her voice and Sportacus prayed that Robbie heard it as well and wasn’t to sleep deprived.

“No I’ve just finished what I needed to do. Come on down,” came Robbie’s reply seconds later and Sportacus heard the sound of the locking mechanism unlocking which allowed him to lift the lid of the silo. “The chair is ready to receive,” Robbie added so Sportacus sent Stephanie down the pipe first and waited ten seconds before following after her sticking the landing just in-front of the chair where Stephanie was still sitting, upside down.

“Whoa what happened there?” Sportacus asked around a grin as he pulled Stephanie back up the right way again as the girl giggled happily which of course just made Sportacus smile wider.

“That was fun,” Stephanie commented.

“Well I am so glad you enjoyed it,” grumbled Robbie as he walked into the room from his studio where he made all of the clothes for either his disguises or for people who paid for them.

“Hi Robbie,” Stephanie grinned and skipped over to the grumpy man before she threw her arms around his waist in a tight hug which Robbie returned with a small smile on his face.

“How did it go at the hospital?” Robbie asked and Stephanie held out her arm for Robbie to inspect, which he did so as he gently rotated Stephanie’s arm and stopped when she winced slightly.

“It feels strange without the cast and a bit stiff. But Doctor Feelsgood gave Sportacus a list of exercises for me to do,” Stephanie replied and then scrunched her nose up when she caught the sour whiff of her arm. “Could I go and take a shower? Please Robbie? My arm really stinks,” she said with wide doe eyes that she knew neither Robbie nor Sportacus could resist.

“Oh fine. You stuff is still in there,” Robbie replied, Stephanie had been staying over at his a few nights a week to allow the Mayor time with Miss Busybody outside of work and Stephanie never seemed to mind. Sometimes Sportacus would join them and sometimes it was just the two of them. Robbie had even made Stephanie some new clothes, the girls style was beginning to change as she aged and became more and more active, but pink was still the main color that she wore.

“Thanks Robbie,” Stephanie grinned and skipped off towards the spare room to grab a change of clothes before she headed towards Robbie’s shower. Robbie slid himself into his recliner and Sportacus flipped himself into a handstand to do some handstand push ups to keep himself occupied.

“How was she?” Robbie asked as he turned his head lazily into Sportacus’s direction.

“Hmm? Oh she did really well. She didn’t like the saw and hid herself in my chest but she sat still and let Doctor Feelsgood remove the cast without issue,” Sportacus replied as he continued to do his push ups. “She asked if she could stay with me in the air ship tonight,” he added and Robbie frowned, it was becoming more and more often that Stephanie would stay with either Robbie or Sportacus instead of being at her uncle’s house. “She wouldn’t tell me why she wanted to stay. But I think it’s the night terrors,” the sports elf continued as he flipped himself into a normal push up position.

“She’s still having the night terrors?” Robbie asked wide eyed. “She never has them when she’s here,” he added.

“No she doesn’t have them in the air ship either. I think what happened really unsettled her and she only feels safe when she’s with one of us,” Sportacus replied as he finally flipped himself into a sitting position with one leg bent and his arm laid across it as his other hand ran through his hair which knocked his hat and goggles off to the floor.

“We need to speak to the Mayor about this. It can’t keep going on, he needs to step up and take care of that girl,” Robbie growled.

“Milford is trying his best. He just doesn’t really know how to handle it. He didn’t exactly expect to become a guardian and Stephanie is normally so independent, but she is still a child and I think he sometimes forgets that,” Sportacus defended and Robbie made a noise of agreement to that statement. “She wants you to stay with us as well.”

“Me? In that flying death trap?” Robbie cried his eyes wide and his posture stiff in fear.

“You’ve been the in air ship plenty of times now Robbie, and that was when it was flying,” Sportacus pointed out and Robbie stared at the elf with a raised eyebrow and Sportacus rolled his eyes. “I will park it by the lair,” the Sports elf conceded and Robbie sighed before he agreed to the sleep over in the air ship much to Sportacus’s relief who hopped up onto his feet once more to press a kiss to Robbie’s lips, their relationship was still new as they had only been dating a few weeks now but Sportacus always tried to bestow as much love on Robbie as he could.

Robbie was still blushing over the kiss when Stephanie walked back into the main room of the lair wearing a pink denim overall skirt with a pair of white leggings which reached just bellow the girls knees, a white and pink tie-die turtleneck and a pair of glittery pink sneakers. All of which – except the sneakers – Robbie had made and both he and Sportacus thought the girl looked adorable, but neither would say that so they didn’t embarrass her.

“Feeling better?” Robbie asked as he scooted over in his chair to allow Stephanie to curl up with him which she did so.

“Yes thank you,” she replied with a tired looking smile, which both Sportacus and Robbie spotted and it made them both frown as Sportacus hadn’t been warned by his Crystal of any night terrors the night before.

“Tired?” Robbie asked and Stephanie nodded her head with a blush on her cheeks. “Did you have another night terror?” he asked but Stephanie shook her head.

“I just couldn’t sleep last night,” she whispered in response. “I-I-I left Stirða at Trixie’s house,” she added. Stirða was what Stephanie had chosen to call the ballerina bear that Sportacus and Robbie had brought her when she had her cast put on when she broke her wrist. The girl had decided on the name when Sportacus agreed to teach Stephanie Icelandic, his home language and also Robbie’s they later found out.

“Well I think a nap is in order!” Robbie declared and snapped his fingers making the orange blanket fall over himself and Stephanie before he pulled the leaver on the side of the chair to recline the chair which laid them both down.

“I will go and see about getting Stirða from Trixie’s and I’ll be back soon,” Sportacus announced as he bounced to his feet once more and quickly dashed towards the pipe which lead back up and out of Robbie’s lair. He glanced back only to find both Robbie and Stephanie fast asleep. Sportacus couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face at the sight and the sheer amount of love that punched him in the gut at the sight.


	2. Airship Sleepover

Stephanie yawned and blinked her eyes open slowly, she was confused at first by her surroundings but she quickly realized that she was in Robbie’s armchair in his lair and she smiled. The girl turned her head to the side to find Robbie still asleep and not wanting to wake him she snuggled back down into his arms. From her position she glanced around the lair but she soon realized that Sportacus wasn’t back yet and that made her frown, she didn’t know how long she had been asleep for but she presumed that Sportacus would have been back by now. As she turned her head to look at the large alarm clock Robbie kept on the side table she spotted her teddy bear and smiled, she carefully reached out and tucked the bear into her arms and relaxed once more.

It wasn’t long however before Stephanie began to get bored of just sitting around so she slowly extracted herself from the recliner so she didn’t disturb the light sleeper that was Robbie, although he tended to sleep a little deeper now then he used to.

Once she was stood by the chair she walked off to the spare room, which had somehow become her own room instead of the storage closet it used to be. Stephanie grabbed a coloring book and some pencils from the toy box at the end of the queen sized bed before she made her way back to the main room of the lair and laid herself on the rug beside Robbie. She didn’t know how long she had colored for, but it started to make her arm ache after a few pages so she packed the book and pencils away as she tried to work the ache out of her arm. “You OK Stephanie?” came the tired voice of Robbie which made Stephanie jump slightly and she looked up at Robbie who had sat back up in the recliner.

“My arm aches a little,” she admitted and Robbie frowned as he looked over at the clock and his arms widened, he had been asleep for two and a half hours.

“Let’s get you some pain killers and then go and see if we can find that sports elf,” Robbie commented and Stephanie nodded her head in agreement as she set her bear back down on the side table and followed Robbie to the bathroom where he retrieved some child safe painkillers for Stephanie to take to help with the ache in her arm. Once Stephanie had swallowed the tablets with some water the two made their way top side. Stephanie automatically took Robbie’s hand into her own and the villain didn’t comment on it her just squeezed her hand gently and started to make his way towards LazyTown.

They quickly found the kids as they played a game of basketball, both of them called to Stephanie when they saw her and she smiled before she rushed over to them to give them all a hug. She had to explain why she couldn’t play basketball with them much to their disappointment but suggested she keep the score instead which cheered them up a little more. Robbie smiled at the sight before he glanced around to see if he could sport Sportacus, but he was no where to be seen. “Have you guys seen Sportacus?” Stephanie asked as the kids made their way back towards the sports field with Robbie in tow.

“Not since he went to speak with the Mayor. I think he might still be there actually,” Pixel replied and Stephanie looked at him in confusion, she couldn’t understand why Sportacus would be talking to the Mayor.

“How long has he been in there?” Stephanie asked and the kids shrugged.

“Not sure. It’s been a while though,” Pixel replied and Stephanie turned her head to face Robbie, worry evident on her face.

“I’ll go and find him,” he promised and Stephanie nodded before she turned back to the game her friends had restarted so that she could keep score. It was Trixie, Penny and Pixel against Stingy, Jives and Ziggy.

Robbie knocked on the door to the Town Hall and waited to be granted access before he pushed the door open. He found Sportacus crouched beside the Mayor who had obvious signs on his face that he had been crying. “Is everything OK?” Robbie asked as he closed the door behind him. Sportacus sighed and shook his head slightly.

“I’ve just been telling the Mayor some home truths and I upset him,” Sportacus replied with a sad note in his voice and a sad look in his eyes.

“About Stephanie?” Robbie asked and the Mayor’s voice hitched in distress once again, but he had obviously cried out all the tears his body had to give which made Robbie feel slightly guilty for further upsetting the man.

“We have come to the agreement that Stephanie would be better off with a different guardian,” Sportacus explained softly and Robbie’s expression cleared as understanding dawned upon him. “We think it would be in Stephanie’s best interest if she came to live with one of us permanently,” he added and the Mayor once again burst into tears.

“Well even if she did come and live with one of us we would never stop her from seeing you Mayor. She adores you,” Robbie said as he moved froward, although he didn’t round the desk so as not to crowd the man more then he already was. It saddened even Robbie’s cold heart to think about taking a child away from a loving guardian. But the fact of the matter was that even though the Mayor loved Stephanie it did not change the fact that the Mayor just couldn’t spare the time to be with Stephanie in the way she needed.

They decided not to broach the topic with Stephanie until the next day, the children were on spring brake so they didn’t have to worry about her school work being effected. Sportacus soon joined in playing games with the kids to keep them occupied while Robbie and Stephanie watched from the sidelines. Stephanie had snuggled up into Robbie’s side as she watched the game and Robbie couldn’t stop the love that surged even if he had tried, he had really come to care for the little pink girl that had come to LazyTown after the tragic death of her parents. The little girl who threw herself into games and exercise as a way to cope with her loss at only eight years old. “Robbie?” came Stephanie’s soft voice and Robbie tilted his head down so he could look at the girl who tilted her head up slightly to look the villain in the eyes a little easier.

“Yes?” he asked softly, as if he spoke to loudly the moment would be broken.

“Can we go to the beach tomorrow?” Stephanie asked her head tilted to the side in question and Robbie felt himself at a loss of how to say no to that face, so he didn’t.

“Of course we can. Do you want to invite your friends?” Robbie asked and Stephanie nodded her head which made Robbie smile, he knew she would say yes as she hated leaving any of her friends out. “What do you want to do while we’re there?” Robbie asked.

“I want to go swimming. Some of the exercises Doctor Feelsgood gave Sportacus involve swimming and I want to try them out,” Stephanie replied and Robbie rolled his eyes fondly at that, of course she wanted to go to the beach to go swimming. “Then we could build sand castles and maybe have a barbecue?” Stephanie asked and Robbie smiled and nodded his head in agreement. He had a knew vegetarian burger recipe he wanted to try for Sportacus and a knew turkey burger recipe for the other kids and himself, although he knew Stephanie would probably have the vegetarian burgers with Sportacus.

“We sure can. I have some knew recipes I want to try out,” Robbie replied and Stephanie smiled before she lowered her head once more to watch her friends once more.

Sportacus smiled as he ran around the sports field, although he was running much slower then he normal would as he was playing tag with the kids. Stephanie had even jumped up to join in as long as she was careful not to trip and hurt her arm. At this time Trixie was it and she seemed determined to catch Sportacus rather then any of the others. Sportacus turned his head to see that Trixie had stopped and was stood with her slingshot raised and aimed at Sportacus who’s eyes widened as his hand shot out and grabbed the grape that Trixie had aimed at him. “Trixie! No sling shots!” came Stephanie’s voice from the other side of the wall where Sportacus had been running to.

“Oh! No fair! he’s to fast to catch!” Trixie moaned.

“Then try and get someone else!” Stephanie replied with a giggle as she jumped over the wall and stood beside Sportacus who popped the grape into his mouth quite happily.

“Sportacus. Energy low,” came the voice of the air ship on his bracer and the sports elf frowned and opened the bracer to check the time, it was already five thirty.

“OK kids time to go home! it’s past supper time,” Sportacus called and received many groans in annoyance but the kids all headed over to him and crowded around him. “Right lets go,” he grinned and walked each of the children home so he could ask their parents if it was OK if he could take them out to the beach the next day. The parents were all happy for him to of course, but he still liked to ask. Once he had waved goodbye to Ziggy once he had dropped him off Sportacus made his way back towards the sports field to find Stephanie and Robbie waiting for him so they could head back to Robbie’s lair where Sportacus had parked the air ship. “Lets go,” he smiled and Stephanie smiled and grabbed a hand from each man before she began to lead them towards the billboard.

“What shall we have for supper today?” Robbie asked as he rubbed his rumbling stomach.

“Could we make pizza?” Stephanie asked with a tilted head and Robbie grinned at that and nodded his head happily which made the girl smile and Sportacus roll his eyes. He wasn’t fond of junk food but he knew that Stephanie loved pizza so he had agreed that they could have pizza once a month or as a treat. Robbie had actually found a sugar free tomato paste that Sportacus could use and the sports elf enjoyed making his veggie pizza which used dairy and sugar free cheese, which Stephanie was adament smelt like cheesy feet but Sportacus enjoyed it.

As soon as they arrived at the lair Robbie sent Stephanie off to wash her hands while he got the ingredients ready for the pizza’s. He grabbed out the pizza dough from the fridge and split it into three for each of them and placed some flour onto the surface of the table to prevent the dough from sticking when they rolled it out. “Ready!” Stephanie called happily as she ran back into the room and took her place between the two men and they all rolled out their dough in a companionable silence, they found that the more time they spent with each other the less they had to talk to each other and instead often just enjoyed each others company in silence. “What have we got to put on the pizza’s?” Stephanie asked once they had all spread out the tomato paste base – although Robbie had a paste that had sugar in it rather then the sugar free one that Sportacus and Stephanie used.

“Well what do you want on it?” Robbie asked as he passed Sportacus some peppers, mushrooms, sweetcorn, spinach and grated vegan cheese to Sportacus who took the ingredients happily and started to chop them up to place on his pizza.

“Hmm. . . can I have pepperoni, mushrooms and sweetcorn?” Stephanie asked as she eyed Sportacus’s cheese distastefully.

“Sure you can,” Robbie replied and passed the girl the grated mozzarella which she sprinkled onto her pizza before she laid out the pepperoni slices and then moved on to chop up her mushrooms with the watchful eye of Sportacus. Once chopped Stephanie added the mushrooms to her pizza and then sprinkled on some sweetcorn and some more cheese. Finally satisfied with her pizza Sportacus placed it onto a grease-proof baking sheet and placed it into the oven with his own. Stephanie glanced over at Robbie’s and laughed at the sight of it. He had stuffed the crust with pieces of sausage and some cheese before covering the pizza in cheese, chicken pieces, pepperoni, more sausage pieces, some burger meat and meatballs. “What are you laughing at?” Robbie asked with a barley concealed grin as he placed his pizza into the oven along with the others.

“Nothing,” Stephanie replied in an innocent tone that made Robbie roll his eyes. “What can we do while the pizza’s cook?” Stephanie asked as she jumped up onto one of the kitchen counters and kicked her legs back and forth.

“How about a movie?” Robbie asked as he wiped the table down and placed the ingredients that hadn't been used back into the fridge.

“Oh yes please!” Stephanie replied as she jumped up and ran to her room to grab her favorite movie which made Robbie shudder, he had watched more High School Musical in the last few weeks then he ever cared to, but he also knew that he couldn’t say no to those doe eyes.

“You do realize that you have given her an open opportunity to watch High School Musical for the tenth time in a week right?” Sportacus asked with a raised eyebrow and Robbie sighed but nodded his head which made Sportacus grin and lean forward to place a kiss on the villains lips which he gladly returned, the two only releasing the other when they heard Stephanie approaching the kitchen once again with a DVD box clutched in her hands.

“What have you go there Pinkie?” Robbie asked as the three made their way to the main room of the lair to settle down for the movie while the food cooked.

“High School musical two,” Stephanie replied and Robbie had to stop himself from groaning out loud at the reply as he settled himself into his recliner and Stephanie snuggled up into his side in the chair as well while Sportacus settled himself onto the floor where he would probably do some exercises once he began to get angsty. “I’m only kidding,” Stephanie grinned and held out the DVD to Sportacus to put into the DVD player once Robbie had lowered the TV down.

“Well what is it?” Robbie asked as he tried to catch the look of the DVD case, but the case was blank.

“Home video’s,” Stephanie replied and Robbie turned his head to look at the girl in surprise as he hadn’t expected that. “It’s different clips that the different camera’s around LazyTown have picked up on and Pixel made a compilation of them all for us,” Stephanie continued so as to explain it better. Sportacus grinned and placed the DVD into the player and set it up to play, he was rather looking forward to this.

_The static cleared and the Sports field came into view, it was a little worse for wear with overgrown plants and rubbish everywhere. Even the gate was damaged it was completely unsafe for anyone. Just then the Mayor ambled over along with Stephanie, the kids and Sportacus all of them looked much younger. They were all laughing and Stephanie began to sing Bing Bang as they all worked together the clean up the Sports field, in the back ground they could see Robbie glaring unhappily at them before he stormed off._

“I remember this! It was the very first day I arrived here!” Sportacus said with a huge grin on his face as he paused his sit ups to watch the screen and Stephanie hummed in agreement as she watched the screen.

“We all look so young,” she commented eventually, even though it hadn’t even been two years ago Stephanie could clearly see the differences between herself and her friends. One of those being that Jives and Penny were no where to be seen as they had yet to return to LazyTown. Ziggy had lost weight and Pixel had lost the bags under his eyes. Stingy looked less pale now then he did back then and Trixie seemed much less unkempt then she had back in those early days.

The video changed as the song ended and as the static cleared once again Stephanie grinned as she watched herself and her friends practicing ready for Sports Day together, they had all come so far from then.

“ _Like this Stephanie?” Ziggy asked as he jogged in place and almost tripped over his blanket that was tied around his neck like a cape. Stephanie giggled but nodded her head in agreement as she looked over to see what the others were doing._

“ _You’re all doing great guys! We’ll beat Robbie for sure!” Stephanie cheered._

Robbie tensed slightly at the memories of those early days and Stephanie snuggled more into him in response which made him relax, sometimes he really hated how he had acted in those early days but he knew he had more then made up for it by now but he still felt guilty.

More and more memories passed over the computer screen from the time Robbie pretended to be a pirate, to the time Sportacus lost his Crystal and they found out Stingy had stolen it. To the day the kids built the tree house and many many more.

_This time as the screen cleared it was a more recent video, Stephanie was sat at a table with a large grin on her face with a pointed pink party hat on top of her head. Behind her on the left was Sportacus and on the right was Robbie. On either sides of the table sat Mayor Meanswell, Miss Busybody, Stingy, Ziggy, Pixel, Trixie, Jives and Penny. All were singing Boogy boogy boo as Stephanie prepared herself to blow out the large pink number nine candle on the bright pink three layer cake. Stephanie puffed out her cheeks and blew out the candle in one breath to a round of applause from her friends and her family. “Happy Birthday Stephanie!” everyone cheered and Sportacus helped Stephanie cut the cake with her left hand and her right was in plaster. Soon everyone had been given a slice of cake, including Sportacus as the cake was sugar free. Stephanie looked around at everyone around her and smiled._

Stephanie sniffled as she watched the last video, she remembered that day clearly it had been two weeks after she had been released from the hospital. She hadn’t been expecting anyone to remember her birthday and had been surprised to find a party waiting for her at the Town Hall that afternoon. They had spent the afternoon playing games and eating as much sportscandy and junk food as they could stomach. It was the first night Stephanie hadn’t had a night terror. Stephanie jumped when she felt a kiss placed on her head and she tilted her head up to look at Robbie who smiled down at her and she couldn’t help but smile back and turned her head when she felt another kiss placed on the other side of her head and Sportacus smiled down at her before he went to get the pizza’s from the oven.

After the pizza’s had been eaten and the dishes had been done the three of them climbed out of the silo and made their way towards the air ship that was parked close by. “Door!” Sportacus called and the door lowered to allow them entrance to the ship.

“Hello Sportacus, Stephanie and Robbie,” the female voice of the air ship said as they entered and the door closed behind them.

“Hi Air Ship!” Stephanie chirped happily as she patted the sleek white walls of the air ship happily, luckily avoiding the wall buttons.

“Right Stephanie do you want to shower now or later?” Sportacus asked as he opened his library to grab out the book that he and Stephanie had been reading when she came up to the air ship.

“Now please,” Stephanie requested as she rushed towards the wall beside the bed and pressed the button there which moved a wall panel aside to reveal the small bathroom within. The girl hopped inside with her over night bag and the panel hissed shut behind her to give privacy and Sportacus shook his head with a fond smile on his lips. He laid the book on his table and began his evening exercises while Robbie sat on the floor near the front of the ship with his back to the window to watch him. Robbie smirked as he crossed his legs at the ankle and lent back on his hands with his head tilted to the side to better view Sportacus’s muscles as they rippled.

“You OK Robbie?” Sportacus asked as he flipped into one armed push ups without even pausing for a breath.

“Hmm? Oh yes. Just enjoying the view,” Robbie replied and Sportacus chuckled as he flipped himself back into a standing position as Stephanie exited the bathroom now in her new pajamas that Robbie had gifted her. It was a long sleeve pink pale tee with the words ‘I Am A Unicorn’ printed onto the chest in dark pink letters and this was paired with a pair of pink shorts with unicorns patterned on them and a pair of fluffy pink socks.

“Ready for bed Stephanie?” Sportacus asked but the girl shook her head which made Sportacus frown.

“It’s on seven thirty,” Stephanie replied as she pointed to the clock on the back of Sportacus’s bed and the nodded when he looked at it. “Can I color for a little while?” she asked instead.

“As long as it doesn’t hurt your arm of course you can. I am going to take a shower,” Sportacus replied and flipped his way into the bathroom, only pausing to grab his own pajamas that Robbie had made him.

Stephanie settled down on the air ship floor beside Robbie and grabbed out her coloring book from her over night bag and some pencils. “What are you going to color?” Robbie asked as he leaned over to see what coloring book Stephanie had brought with her.

“Erm. . .I’m not sure yet,” Stephanie replied as she flipped through the book, but eventually she settled on a picture with three kittens playing with a ball of yarn. Robbie watched on in amusement as she colored one kitten blue, one purple and the other pink before she moved onto the ball of yarn which she made bright orange. “Robbie?” Stephanie asked and Robbie hummed to show he was listening to her as he watched her color silently. “Never mind,” Stephanie eventually said as she spotted Sportacus flipping out of the bathroom wearing a pair of blue cotton sleep pants and a wife beater that looked exactly like his vest did and even had a small compartment for his Crystal that wouldn’t press into him during the night.

“All yours Robbie. Stephanie it’s eight o’clock lets get you tucked in and we can read some more of our story,” Sportacus smiled and Stephanie nodded as she packed away her coloring book and pencils before she grabbed her bear and headed towards Sportacus. “Bed!” he cried happily and two beds swiveled out of the wall one was Sportacus’s old bed and another which was slightly larger so it could fit both Sportacus and Robbie. Stephanie now used Sportacus’s old bed and she climbed into it happily and Sportacus tucked the bright pink duvet over her as he settled down to sit on the edge of the bed so he could start to read the story. “Chapter nine, The Midnight Duel,” Sportacus began.

The sports elf only got three pages into the chapter when he began to feel himself dozing off and Stephanie was fast asleep already so he marked up place in the book before he placed it back into the library and closed the hatch. Once done he headed over to Stephanie and made sure she was tucked in before he pressed a kiss to her forehead and jumped into his own bed just as Robbie left the bathroom wearing his navy blue and purple pink strip silk pajama pants and matching button up shirt. Robbie climbed into the bed beside Sportacus and happily allowed the elf to snuggle up to him, although he wouldn’t sleep for a while yet he enjoyed the time just to cuddle up with Sportacus and have him be still for a change. The airship dimmed the lights and Robbie stared out of the large windows at the town as the street lights slowly came on and the lights in the house turned off. By nine thirty Robbie was asleep a smile on his face surrounded by his family.


	3. Family?

Stephanie was the first to wake the following morning, which surprised her as Sportacus was also known as an early riser. The nine year old sat up and looked over at the window of the air ship; her brow crunched in confusion as it was still dark outside and she wasn’t one to wake in the middle of the night unless she had night terrors, which she knew she hadn’t had. She was contemplating going back to sleep when she heard it, someone had knocked on the door of the air ship. The girl glanced over at the two sleeping men to her right and frowned, Sportacus was practically impossible to wake before the morning unless his Crystal went off and she really didn’t want to wake Robbie as he struggled to sleep enough as it was, mind made up she headed towards the door of the air ship. “Ship? Could you open the door please?” Stephanie whispered curiously.

“It is not yet morning Stephanie,” came the AI’s reply, although the volume had been lowered so not wake the sleeping males.

“I know but someone is knocking on the door,” Stephanie replied as the person on the other side knocked again as if to prove her point, but still the door did not open. “Ship?” Stephanie asked curiously, but she received no reply which Stephanie realized was because the AI had been switched off. Stephanie was now starting to panic as who ever was on the other side of the Airships door had managed to hack into the system and switch off the AI. Suddenly the door was yanked open which caused Stephanie to scream which in turn lit up both Crystals in attendance.

“Someones in trouble!” came two almost identical voices which confused Stephanie to no end, but she was to scared to think much on it. Someone jumped straight at Stephanie from the door way and she screamed again only to be grabbed by Sportacus from behind and placed behind him as he stood before her as a mass wall of muscle to protect her.

“Who are you and how did you get onto my ship?” Sportacus asked, the fury in his voice made even Stephanie wince as she was pulled back into the arms of Robbie, she knew if he danger refocused on her then Robbie would get them both out of harms way but she worried for Sportacus if they left him.

“I’m hurt bróðir! Surly you must recognize me!” came the heavily accented voice in-front of them, but it was too dark to see much.

“Lights!” Sportacus called, but of course nothing happened which caused Sportacus to frown.

“Ah! Sorry one moment. Glanni! kveiktu á skipinu aftur!” the figure shouted over his shoulder, although he didn’t turn around and Stephanie felt Robbie tense up behind her, but he didn’t try to snap them out of the air ship so she realized they probably weren’t in any danger and Sportacus’s Crustal had fallen silent long ago.

“Ég er að reyna íþróttamanninn! það er ekki eins auðvelt og það lítur út!” came a reply which Stephanie realized sounded almost exactly like Robbie when he spoke Icelandic when he didn’t want Stephanie to understand what he was saying so it was normally curse words.

“Can you two speak English?! Not all of us can speak Icelandic!” came Robbie’s exparished reply as the lights lit up blinding everyone all at once which made them all groan.

“Hehe sorry,” came the voice of a man wearing a black leather cat suit and black pump boots who looked almost exactly like Robbie but with shorter hair and no stubble at all present, he even had a little dip in the middle of his chin. “Robbie! Gumdrop, how have you been?” the man asked as he grinned at Robbie who was still holding onto Stephanie, which of course moved the man attention to her.

“Glanni. This is Stephanie,” Robbie replied stiffly. “Stephanie, this is my cousin Glanni. Stay away from him,” Robbie added his hands tightened slightly on the girls shoulders, but it didn’t hurt.

“I’m hurt Gumdrop!” Glanni said with a frown on his face.

“Well in all fairness Glanni he has a point. You did poison an entire town and got arrested for child labor,” the other man pointed out and now that Stephanie could see him her eyes widened. He looked almost exactly like Sportacus with very few differences. The man was taller then Sportacus reaching roughly 5 foot 9 inches with a bushy blonde goatee beard and a bushier version of Sportacus’s mustache was on his upper lip. He wore a large red hat with a bell on the end along with a yellow chest plate with orange track pants of a similar design to Sportacus’s own as well as a pair of soft brown leather boots that the pants were tucked into. Stephanie then noticed that his chest plate had a number 9 printed on it and that was when realization hit, this man was hero 9 the hero that her uncle had spoken off. But before she could think more into it his words sunk into her brain and she gasped backing more into Robbie as she did so and grabbed a handful his night shirt.

“I’m a changed man Gumdrop!” Glanni replied his eyes wide and far to innocent looking for even Stephanie to believe. The nine year old glanced up at Robbie who was glaring at Glanni with protectiveness.

“That’s not entirely true,” number 9 replied and everyone's attention shifted back to him. “Although he has mellowed with age you are still a criminal Glanni and Robbie has a right to be slightly concerned for the child,” he added.

“I will have you know I am not that old!” Glanni screeched.

“I never said you were,” number 9 countered.

“As riveting as this conversation is,” came Sportacus’s voice at last, he had his arms crossed over his chest and a sour look on his face. “What are you doing here Ithro?” he asked.

“I came to see you!” number 9 defended but soon deflated under the gaze of his brother and reached back to scratch the back of his neck before he sighed. “We heard that Jives and Penny had moved back here and wanted to check on them. We knew that LazyTown was where you were stationed and Glanni knew Robbie was here so wanted to see him,” number 9 replied. “It’s also nice to see the old place again. I haven’t been here in years,” he added and Stephanie saw a smile spread across Sportacus’s face before he pulled a back flip straight into the arms of number 9.

“It’s great to see you Ithro,” he said.

“Am I missing something?!” came Robbie’s distressed voice and everyone turned to look at him. Sportacus bounded over and stood beside them practically vibrating with excitement.

“Robbie! Stephanie! This is my older brother íþróttamanninn! But everyone calls him Ithro, it’s much easier to remember,” Sportacus replied with a giddy smile.

“Number 9 is your brother? We all thought he was your father,” Stephanie confessed which made Sportacus and Ithro laugh, even their laughs were similar.

“No number 8 is our father. He’s still stationed in Iceland,” Sportacus replied with a grin.

“Old man is thinking of retiring though,” Ithro commented and Sportacus nodded, it wasn’t a surprise his father was getting on a bit after all.

“Well as lovely as this has been, it is far to early to be awake and it is going to take me forever to get back to sleep,” Robbie grumbled and lead Stephanie back over to her bed to tuck her back in.

“What time is it?” Glanni asked as he looked around obviously looking for a clock.

“Ship? Time!” Sportacus called punching his hand into the air with his index finger pointed out.

“It is three AM Sportacus,” the smooth female voice replied and a glare settled over his face as he crossed his arms and turned towards his brother who at least had the decency to look sheepish.

“That early? Oops sorry Sport. Time zones,” Ithro said.

“You mean I could have slept in longer?! You over excitable elf!” Glanni screeched from the doorway and Ithro chuckled in a nervous way which Glanni growled at. “Stupid elf, making me get up early,” Glanni mumbled, his voice eventually disappearing as he stalked off to the hot air balloon parked near by that Stephanie could just about see the outline off through the window of the air ship.

“You had better not have broken my door Ithro. I’ll speak to you in the morning,” Sportacus growled and Ithro grinned at his brother sheepishly before he flipped out of the air ship and the door closed behind him.

Stephanie woke again at six AM along with Sportacus who looked like he was more then ready to go back to sleep and Stephanie winced in sympathy, after the first time it had happened Pixel had researched Sportacus’s symptoms online and they had discovered he had a form of Narcolepsy that he was controlling via the correct diet and going to bed at the same time everyday. If anything disrupted his schedule it often meant he would be tired and at risk of falling asleep during the day the following day. “Sportacus? Go back to sleep. I’ll wake you in a little bit,” Stephanie said as she hopped out her bed and pushed Sportacus back down into Robbie’s chest. Sportacus mumbled something but did as he was told swiftly falling back he sleep in Robbie’s arms. Robbie grumbled something in reply and tightened his arms around Sportacus but didn’t wake. Stephanie sighed in relief and made her way over to her over night bag which she had placed beside the cockpit the night before and dug out a change of clothes. It was another outfit that Robbie had made her, in-fact she rarely wore her old dress anymore and used it mainly as a school uniform dress as she loved the clothes Robbie made her. After all her dress wasn’t exactly the best thing for some of the sports they played not matter how much Stephanie had loved it.

The nine year old hummed Bing Bang to herself as she changed out of her pajamas which she placed into her over night bag to wash at her Uncles. She pulled on her black short sleeve tee that had a gymnast on the chest with the words ‘If You Don’t Leap You’ll Never Know What It’s Like To Fly’ printed under it in white and pink lettering. The nine year old paired this with a pair of pink leggings that were decorated in soccer balls and her pink glitter sneakers.

Stephanie tiptoed back out into the main room of the air ship she smiled at the sight of two of her favorite people snuggled up together and fast asleep, it was rare moments that Stephanie actually got to see Sportacus relaxed and still and even rarer to see Robbie sleeping peacefully. “Ship? Door please,” Stephanie whispered and the door eased open and Stephanie hopped out and landed smartly on her feet only to jumped back in surprise at the sight of Glanni stood right outside the door. “Eek! What are you doing?” Stephanie panted her hand over her pounding heart.

“I came to see if my Gumdrop was awake,” Glanni responded.

“Well he isn’t and you would do well not to wake him! Robbie struggles enough with sleep without you two waking him up this morning,” Stephanie replied her hands on her hips making her seen much more like Sportacus and it shocked Glanni for a moment.

“Glanni what are you up to?” Ithro asked as he appeared behind Glanni, he had a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead which indicated he had been exercising.

“I was going to wake Robbie so we could catch up. But this little pink hurricane is rather protective,” Glanni replied as he draped himself over Ithro’s side like a giant cat.

“Hmm. Yes I would have thought Íþróttaálfurinn would have been awake by now,” Ithro said with a frown on his face and a furrowed brow.

“Well if you hadn’t have turned up at three AM this morning Sportacus would have got his sleep and wouldn’t now be to tired to get up. Your brother has Narcolepsy you know! Any disruption to his sleep schedule throws him completely out until his body has caught up on the sleep he lost! Don’t expect him to be awake for at least another few hours,” Stephanie responded, her protectiveness of the two men growing by the second and she didn’t care if she sounded rude to people she had just met and she also didn’t care that these people were actually related to the two men in question.

“You are very protective of them,” Ithro commented with a raised eyebrow, from shock or frustration Stephanie wasn’t sure.

“Well someone has to be,” she responded, after all they took care of her and the other kids in the town but they never had anyone to look after them. “Now can we go to Town? I need breakfast but didn’t want to disturb Robbie by opening the table in the air ship and I refuse to go into the lair without either Sportacus or Robbie,” Stephanie responded and with that she started towards the town, Glanni and Ithro swiftly caught up with Glanni’s long legs and Ithro flipped his way over.

“Where would someone go for breakfast in such a small town?” Glanni asked with clear distaste for everything he could see.

“That’s easy. Riverside Lazy. It’s the only restaurant in the town and chef Pablo is nice. He opens early and closes just after lunch,” Stephanie replied as they made their way towards the beach on the outskirts of town to a small little restaurant which was open but there were no customers.

“Chef Pablo?” Stephanie called as she entered the restaurant and soon the small Italian chef bustled out of the kitchen with a wide smile on his face at the sight of Stephanie.

“Stephanie! How are you?” Pablo asked and pulled the girl into a hug.

“I’m OK thank you Pablo. This is Ithro and Glanni they are visiting LazyTown for a little while and I thought I would bring them here for breakfast,” Stephanie replied and the chef’s smile widened.

“Welcome, welcome. Please sit down,” Pablo smiled as he lead them to a small table by the window and produced three menu’s which the three people took happily.

“I will have the pancakes please, extra butter, extra syrup and extra sugar thank you,” Glanni ordered with a large grin on his face and Stephanie felt herself go a little green at the thought of all the sugar he had asked for. “Oh! And a hot cocoa,” he added.

“Glanni I really think that is far to much,” Ithro reprimanded.

“You get what you want Sugarpie and I’ll get what I want,” Glanni responded easily as if the two had had this argument several times before, which Stephanie guessed they probably had as she had had Sportacus and Robbie have similar arguments in the past.

“I will have fruit salad please,” Ithro sighed. “With water,” he added and passed the menu back to Pablo who smiled and nodded his head before he headed to the kitchen. “He didn’t wait for your order,” Ithro frowned and made to stand to go and get the chef back.

“Hmm? Oh no he doesn’t have to he knows what I have it never changes,” Stephanie replied as she looked out of the window.

“Do you come here often?” Ithro asked, the frown still painted across his face.

“Once or twice a week maybe? Sometimes my Uncle has to leave early and doesn’t have time to make breakfast so I come here,” Stephanie replied, she hadn’t realized that she probably shouldn’t have said that but Pablo chose that moment to return and placed their drinks down on the table before he laid a fruit salad in-front of Ithro and then placed a bowl of oatmeal with blueberry jelly in-front Stephanie along with a cup of milk. “Thank you Pablo,” the girl smiled.

“You are always welcome Stephanie,” Pablo replied and placed a plate stacked full of pancakes in-front of Glanni who looked like he had died and gone to heaven while Stephanie gagged at the smell of so much sugar. The group ate in silence, Stephanie continued to look out of the window at the beach she and the others were supposed to be visiting today but she wouldn’t blame Sportacus or Robbie if they didn’t make it today after the night before.

“So you live with your uncle?” Ithro asked when the silence began to get to much for him and Stephanie jumped slightly in place at the sound of his voice but turned her head towards Ithro.

“Yes,” she replied softly.

“What about your parents?” Glanni asked and Ithro actually face palmed and Stephanie, she ran from the restaurant in tears.

Sportacus’s brow furrowed when he eventually woke up a few hours later then he would have done and he groaned when he remembered what had happened early that morning. “Sport? You OK?” Robbie asked around a yawn.

“Hmm? Oh yes. I have caught up on sleep and am ready for the day! Stephanie you ready to go?” Sportacus asked as he turned towards Stephanie’s bed and froze, the bed was empty. “Ship? Where is Stephanie?” Sportacus asked and he saw Robbie shot up into a sitting position at that question.

“Stephanie left the air ship two hours ago Sportacus,” the AI responded.

“And you let her go? With Glanni around?” Robbie cried as he jumped from the bed and spun quickly to change himself into his regular pin strip suit.

“Stephanie wished to leave so that she did not wake you,” the ship replied and Robbie froze, he hadn’t expected that to be the reply.

“Robbie calm down. I’m sure she’s just gone to town to play with her friends,” Sportacus soothed and he quickly changed into his usual outfit and brushed his teeth. Once done the two made their way towards the town center to find a frantic looking Ithro and a guilty looking Glanni surrounded by the worried faces of the children, but Sportacus could see that one was missing and his heart froze.

“Íþróttaálfurinn!” Ithro called in panic and everyone turned to Sportacus and all tried to speak at once.

“Hay hay! One at a time,” Sportacus cried as he raised his hands to silence everyone. “Now what’s going on?” he asked.

“Stephanie is missing,” Ziggy replied tears in his blue eyes as he thought about his friend missing and Sportacus felt his heart rate increase.

“That jerk over there asked about her parents,” Trixie replied as she jerked her thumb in Glanni’s direction and Robbie turned to glare at his cousin.

“She took us to breakfast near the beach. The chef didn’t ask for her order and I questioned it. Stephanie explained that she often went to the restaurant for breakfast as her uncle was sometimes to busy to make breakfast. When I questioned the fact she lived with her uncle Glanni asked her where her parents were. She ran from the restaurant crying and we lost track of her,” Ithro explained, the guilt and panic rolled off of him in waves.

“Stephanie’s parents were killed in a car accident almost two years ago now while she was here vising her Uncle for the summer. She ended up staying in LazyTown with her uncle as her only living relative,” Robbie replied in panic. “Stephanie doesn’t like to talk about it and becomes very upset by it,” he added. 

“We need to find her,” Ziggy cried, he was obviously becoming very distressed by the thought that someone else had upset Stephanie, they had all become rather protective of Stephanie after Lilith Liarson.

“Where have you looked so far?” Sportacus asked.

“Her house, the Town Hall, the School, The Playground, the tree house and the Sports Field,” Trixie replied. “Pixel is going through the towns security footage to see if he can see anything, but so far nothing,” Trixie replied, she was clearly distressed but was trying to make herself still seem tough as was her way. Sportacus suddenly felt Robbie grip his arm and turned to the man in question, but didn’t manage to get the question out as Robbie spoke:

“The lair,” was all he said and with that the two rushed back the way they had come the sounds of shouting fell on deaf ears, they had a little girl to find.

“Stephanie?!” Sportacus shouted as he and Robbie crashed into the recliner after they slid down the silo which lead to the main area of the lair. “Stephanie?!” he called again in a frantic tone when he received no answer.

“Sportacus! Over here!” Robbie shouted and Sportacus rounded to find Robbie clutching Stephanie in his arms in the doorway that lead to Robbie’s bedroom, although the man only really used it when Sportacus stayed over.

“Oh Stephanie,” Sportacus sighed and ran over to the two of them and swept them both into his arms as Stephanie sobbed, he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “We were so worried,” he whispered.

“I-I-I’m sorry,” Stephanie sobbed.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, you came to a safe place and that’s what counts,” Robbie replied softly and Sportacus found himself agreeing to what Robbie had said as he rocked the pair side to side in his arms.

“I miss them,” Stephanie whispered, neither man needed to ask who she meant and just hugged all the harder.

“It’s always hard to loose a parent, but to loose both at the same time and at such a young age is hard,” Sportacus soothed and Stephanie nodded into his chest, she just wished that she would stop getting so upset over it all but she was only a child and she missed her parents; she even missed the arguing and raised voices.

An hour later Stephanie found she had no more tears to give and her sobs had stopped she was staring off into the distance held safely in Robbie’s arms in the recliner, Sportacus had gone to speak to everyone and let them know that they had found Stephanie. Stephanie wasn’t ready to face everyone so Robbie had stayed with her in the lair so that she wasn’t alone. “Are you OK Stephanie?” Robbie asked, his voice low barely a whisper but Stephanie heard it all the same.

“I’m OK Dad,” Stephanie replied not realizing what she had said but she felt Robbie tense up, she tilted her head to look at him confusion written on her face, until she re-evaluated what she had said and felt her eyes widen. “I-I-I’m sorry!” she cried her breath began to come harder and fresh tears began to well in her eyes. Robbie said nothing but tightened his arms around Stephanie and tucked his head into hers, Stephanie felt the tears drip into her hair.

“It’s OK. I don’t mind,” Robbie mumbled and Stephanie smiled for the first time since that morning and snuggled into Robbie all the more.

“Thanks. . . Dad,” she said again and Robbie let out a choked laugh and placed a kiss onto Stephanie’s forehead. For a while neither said anything, content just to cuddle up to each other and enjoy each others company. “Hay Dad? Do you think Sportacus would mind if I called him Dad as well?” Stephanie asked quietly. “Would you mind if I did?” she added afterwards.

“No I wouldn’t mind. But I think Sportacus would like it better if you called him Pabbi, the Icelandic version of Dad,” Robbie replied, Robbie preferred the English version as he had spent more of his life in America then he had in Iceland unlike Sportacus who had only come to America when he arrived at LazyTown.

“Pabbi? I like that,” Stephanie replied with a small smile and Robbie chuckled and nodded his head in agreement.

They soon heard the sound of someone opening the silo and Sportacus’s voice as he called down to them to warn them that he was about to come in. Both Robbie and Stephanie scrambled out of the recliner and moved out of the landing zone, it was more likely that Sportacus would land on his feet in-front of the chair but they didn’t want to risk it.

Sure enough Sportacus landed neatly on his feet millimeters from where the two had previously been sitting. “Are you OK Stephanie?” Sportacus asked as he drew her into a hug and thumbed at the dried tear tracks on her cheeks sadly.

“I’m OK now,” Stephanie replied and turned her head to look at Robbie slightly who nodded to her encouragingly. “Sportacus?” Stephanie asked and Sportacus turned his head down to look at her and hummed to her in reply. “CanIcallyouPabbi?” Stephanie asked in a rush, Sportacus hadn’t understood a word and just looked at Stephanie with wide eyes.

“Could you repeat that? Slower please,” Sportacus requested and Stephanie took a deep breath and pulled away from Sportacus with her head cast down so she couldn’t see the rejection that would surly cover his face when she spoke again.

“C-c-can I call you Pabbi?” she asked again, for a while no one said anything but then Stephanie felt arms around her and a kiss pressed to the top of her head.

“I would like nothing more,” Sportacus replied in a soft voice that was laced with tears. “Did you tell her?” Sportacus asked as he lifted his head to look at Robbie who shook his head in response.

“Tell me what?” Stephanie asked as she looked between the two in question.

“I think we had better go and find the Mayor,” Sportacus replied and Robbie nodded his agreement much to Stephanie’s confusion, but she followed them regardless.

The Mayor seemed both relieved and upset to see the three of them when they walked into the Town Hall a few minuets later. “ Oh Stephanie my dear. Are you OK?” the Mayor asked as he rounded his desk to give his niece a hug which she gladly returned.

“I’m OK uncle,” Stephanie replied but a tone of concern colored her voice. “Are you OK uncle?” she asked and the man sighed.

“Please sit down Stephanie,” Mayor Meanswell replied as he retook his seat behind his desk and Stephanie did as asked and took the seat opposite her uncle with Robbie sitting on her left and Sportacus pacing the room behind them. “Stephanie. You know I love you yes?” the Mayor asked.

“Of course I do,” Stephanie replied as ice cold fear began to grip her heart.

“I wasn’t expecting to become your full time guardian. Not that I regret it of course, it’s just that I only prepared to have you for the summer and then. . . well the accident. Sometimes with how mature you are I forget how young you actually are and I’ve not always been there for you,” the Mayor began and Stephanie felt tears begin to well in her eyes again, several scenarios flew through her head and none of them were good. “Stephanie, I do not believe that I am the best guardian for you and so I have found you another. . . if you will have them,” the Mayor finished and Stephanie felt a sob tear from her throat.

“Y-y-you’re sending me away?” she asked through her tears, after everything that had happened to her these last few years and now the sting of rejection was something that was collapsing the world around her.

“Oh my dear no! I would never send you away! No your new guardians. . . if you’ll have them, are Robbie and Sportacus,” the Mayor replied in a rush, but Stephanie understood every word and she froze.

“What?” she asked.

“Sportacus came to me the day you had your cast removed and we talked and he explained to me that I wasn’t really giving you the attention and care that you needed. I agreed with him and they agreed that they would take you if you accepted them,” the Mayor explained as he looked down at his hands to avoid looking up at his niece, the niece he loved more then the world itself which was the reason he was giving her up.

“I would still be able to come and stay with you whenever I want?” Stephanie asked and the Mayor finally looked up and made eye contact with his niece.

“Of course Stephanie. Just because I am no longer going to be your guardian doesn’t mean that I am no longer your uncle. I will always be your uncle,” the Mayor replied and Stephanie threw herself at the man and the two hugged.


	4. The end. . . or is it?

Stephanie laughed as she danced around the stage floor smiling at Sportacus who was dancing with Ziggy and then at Robbie who was being dragged onto the dance floor by Glanni. Ithro was stood a little way off talking to the Mayor about something while Miss Busybody sat near by watching everyone. Jives was dancing with Penny the two making up the silliest dance moves to make the other laugh. Trixie was trying to keep Stingy away from the presents and Pixel was tapping away on his wrist computer happily. Stephanie laughed at her friends antics, she would never get over just how large a family she had even as she looked out at the parents of her friends she no longer felt any jealousy. Mr Níski Spoilero and Mrs Nenni Spoilero were stood off to the side lines just observing the party and not really making an effort to be more social which reminded Stephanie a lot of their son actually.

A little way off from them were Pixel’s parents Goggi and Megan who were both chatting with Ziggy’s grandmother who had managed to get out of bed for the first time in weeks to come to the party. Then Trixie’s mother –  Halla –  was chatting with Jives and Penny’s parents –  Janine Junkfood, Pertunia Pestella and Pamela Pestella – although what they were talking about Stephanie had no idea. For the first time Stephanie didn’t feel like the only one without any parents because now she had two dads to look after her. “Stephanie! Come and help me cut the cake!” came Robbie’s call from the food table which of course drew everyone’s attention to him. Stephanie laughed and ran over happily, the cake was a simple vanilla cake with chocolate frosting but what was piped onto the top was what made Stephanie happy. The words were piped on in pink, blue and purple and read ‘Congratulations on your adoption!’

Stephanie grabbed the knife and together with Robbie and Sportacus the three cut the cake to the cheers of her family and her friends and Stephanie couldn’t have been happier. Once the cake had been divided up (Sportacus and Ithro had been given a sugar free apple cupcakes to eat) everyone settled down to watch the home movie disk that Pixel had made, with some new additions of what the town had been like before Sportacus and Stephanie had arrived and what the town was like right up to the modern day. Stephanie was snuggled up between her Dad and her Pabbi as she laughed and cried at the different videos that passed by the screen and eventually the sun began to set and Stephanie yawned. “I think it’s time for someone to go to bed,” Sportacus yawned.

“You talking about yourself again Sportaflop?” Robbie asked around a grin as he lifted the elves had to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the wedding band that graced the elves finger which made Sportacus blush slightly. 

“Well it is gone eight oh eight,” Sportacus replied sheepishly and Robbie chuckled and nodded in agreement and stood up which made Stephanie grumble at being moved which made Robbie laugh outright and Sportacus to let out a chuckle. The elf stood and lifted Stephanie into his arms before he took Robbie’s hand in his and with that the new family made their way back to the lair, back to home.

They didn’t see the sad little boy that looked on as he was led home himself.


End file.
